Seeking the Magic to Delight Consumers

By: Denise Petersen

Posted: December 6, 2010, from the December 2010 issue of GCI Magazine.

When a magician steps out onto the stage, the audience expects to be amazed. Behind the scenes, the magician has carefully planned every detail of the show. Costume, script and props all contribute to the excitement. And in the world of cosmetics, it’s quite similar—consumers have sophisticated demands for personal care products, and whether it’s a shampoo, a shower gel or a body lotion, they want formulations that make them wonder “How’d they do that?” Behind the scenes, formulators use modern technologies and high-tech ingredients to serve these demands. But what kinds of formulations have the potential to astonish customers? Which products can be marketed with a whiff of magic? Specialty chemicals supplier Cognis Care Chemicals and its active ingredients business Laboratoires Sérobiologiques (LS) have identified five platforms for magical personal care that serve the latest market trends. The common theme that unites all of these is that they make the seemingly impossible possible.

Platform 1

Silicone-free: Combining Environmental Soundness; High Performance

Disappearing tricks continue to be one of the most mesmerizing parts of any magic show. And in the personal care market, brands need to pull off the trick of making silicone disappear. With regulatory and environmental concerns surrounding the use of silicones in personal care products, consumers are looking for alternatives that deliver the same level of performance in skin, hair and body care: silicone-free claims are gaining more and more importance.

In the hair care market, too, brands can benefit from silicone-free claims and still deliver detangling, weightless conditioning and easy-to-style benefits. Making hair manageable and offering effortless rinse out without excess residue, leaving hair feeling soft and healthy, are product qualities that will build the consumer’s connection to a brand. Cognis’ Crystal Clear Conditioner is among the formulations created to address and enhance these qualities. It is based on a cationic rheology modifier that both enhances viscosity and has conditioning properties. In addition, the product is able to suspend beads and bubbles if desired.